Photoconductive elements have achieved a broadly based acceptance in commercial technology. Almost all of these systems utilize the phenomenon exhibited by certain materials to change their conductivity when struck by radiation to which they are sensitive and thus are able to selectively discharge accumulated electrical charges. One important area of research in this technical area has been an effort to sensitize these photoconductive materials to different and more useful portions of the electromagnetic spectrum and to increase the efficiency of the photoconductive effect.
Electrophotographic imaging systems are well known in the art, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,221,776; 2,277,013; 2,825,814; 3,220,831; 3,615,414, and others.
One generally accepted type of unitary photoconductive construction comprises a substrate having a conductive layer on at least one surface and a photoconductive composition over said conductive layer. The inclusion of photosensitizing materials or adjuvants to the photoconductive material is conveniently used to change the sensitivity and/or speed of the construction, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,987,395 and 3,250,615.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,414 discloses the use of particulate discontinuous phases of pyrylium dyes in electrically insulating polymeric materials containing photoconductors to sensitize the photoconductive layer. Difficult and complex processing to effect the dispersion and agglomeration of the particule phases are disclosed therein to achieve some expansion of the range of spectral response for the photoconductors.